STATE-TO-STATE CHILD ADOPTION VARIATIONS: A POLITICAL CULTURE PERSPECTIVE ERICA TRABING BEMIDJI STATE UNIVERSITY
THE DOMESTIC ADOPTION SYSTEM Complex yet crucial in starting millions of families over the years. About 7 Million Americans are considered adopted persons, about 100 million Americans have adoption in their immediate families. However, 130,000 US children are in foster care systems waiting to be adopted.
US ADOPTION SYSTEM CATEGORIES Public Foster Care Intercountry Adoption System People from other countries System in which a minor has can be adopted by US been placed into a ward, group citizens home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver referred Domestic Adoption to as a "foster parent". System The placement of the child is People who reside in the US usually arranged through the can be adopted through government or a social-service private or public government agency. agencies, or independently (depending on State law)
KINSHIP BY DESIGN BY ELLEN HERMAN Outlines a basic timeline that displays American’s shifting ideas about what constitutes as a legitimate family. Provides a basic narrative of the changes adoption has gone as both a policy and a concept Exposes how truly outdated adoption was and how far it has come more recently Standardization and Naturalization (1930-1960 ) Regulation and Interpretation (1900-1945) Difference and Damage (1945-1975) *Older methods of defining *Began working more *Orphanages, baby and creating families gave towards "authenticity“ farms, newspaper ads way under pressure from new *Families began seeking out * Working homes ideas and social movements. not only children who looked like they did, but also *US Children's Bureau, "rational fit“ the Child Welfare *Children previously deemed un-adoptable because of League of America, *IQ testing, outcome studies, disability, disease, race, and mental and developmental and other child other factors were now tests, and looking at family welfare advocates eligible to be adopted. social history to see if a child began working was considered eligible for towards making child adoptions. *The reform of adoption placing governable by *Many children were services was considered a making adoption deemed “unadoptable” sign of enlightenment, subject to state just because of their progress, and civil rights within regulation background or culture. the child welfare world.
RELEVANCE TO THESIS Without the huge shift in who can adopt, who is being adopted, and what constitutes as a legitimate family, there would be little adoption variance with the states to examine.
RESEARCH QUESTION I analyze certain state level variable outcomes and state laws that pertain to adoption. I set out to answer the question do states with different political cultures have differing adoption laws and adoption outcomes from one another? If so, why?
INDIVIDUALISTIC POLITICAL CULTURE Limit government intervention into private activities. Government should be largely restricted. Private concerns are more important than public concerns. To a significant degree there is cynicism about government. Individualistic States
MORALISTIC POLITICAL CULTURE Society is held to be more important than the individual. Government tends to be seen as a positive force. Serving the community is the core of the political relationships, even at the expense of individual loyalties and political friendships. Moralistic States
TRADITIONALISTIC POLITICAL CULTURE Social and family ties are prominent. Government is seen as an actor with a positive role in the community. Largely limited to securing the maintenance of the existing social order. Political leaders play a largely conservative and custodial role rather than being innovative. Traditionalistic States
ANALYSIS The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) System that collects case-level information from state and tribal agencies on all children in foster care and those who have been adopted with a government agency. I gathered information on The race of the child who was adopted Whether or not the adoptive family received some type of government subsidy The previous relationship the child had to the adoptive family The adoptive family structure
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Provides a detailed record of every state specific laws as to: Who may adopt Under 18 State Resident Unmarried persons Married Homo/bisexual Who can place a child up for adoption Parents Guardians Agency Court
ANALYSIS Incorporated relevant work on adoption outcomes (AFCARS) and adoption laws (Department of Health and Human Services ) with State’s political culture variation (Elazar). Sought to find if political culture affected or influenced state’s differing adoption outcomes and laws.
PERCENT OF PLACEMENTS WITH FOSTER PARENTS, NON RELATIVES, AND OTHER FAMILY Those states who do not frequently place children in the foster care system are usually placing them with non- relative or relative families
PERCENT OF PLACEMENTS WITH MARRIED COUPLES VS UNMARRIED COUPLES Children are almost always placed in married couple families compared to unmarried couple families
SINGLE FEMALE VS SINGLE MALE FAMILY PLACEMENTS States range from very low to almost half Very few placements in any state goes to single males
1. THOSE STATES WHO REPORT MORE MORALISTIC WILL HAVE HIGHER PERCENTAGES OF MARRIED COUPLE ADOPTIVE FAMILIES. 2. THOSE STATES WHO REPORT AS MORE INDIVIDUALISTIC WILL HAVE HIGHER PERCENTAGES OF SINGLE FEMALES ADOPTING CHILDREN. *8.1% *6.7% *7.8% *4.9% *Significant at the .05 level
3. THOSE STATES THAT REPORT INDIVIDUALISTIC WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO ALLOW PEOPLE WHO ARE UNDER 18 TO ADOPT. 4. THOSE STATES WHO REPORT TRADITIONALISTIC WILL BE MORE LIKELY TO REQUIRE A PERSON TO BE A STATE RESIDENT TO ADOPT. *19% *12% *21% *5% *Significant at the .05 level
CONCLUSION While individualistic states differ from both moralistic and traditionalistic cultures together, moralistic and traditionalistic cultures are very similar. Political culture may not play as large of a role in states determining their adoption policies, though it is still significant to discuss. Analysis of adoption policy might be more relevant when studying states by their ideology, demographics, and unique characteristics, rather than Elazar’s broad spectrum of political culture.
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